EXERCISES Section A
Pre-reading activities 1.
1 T 2 F 3 T 4 F 5 F 2
1 Jack’s problem is solved by a carpenter. He told Jack to cut the legs off the bed. And then Jack was certain that nobody was sleeping under it when he got into bed.
2 The answer is open-ended. For example, you might have the fear of darkness, the fear of heights, the fear of snakes or spiders, the fear of flying, etc. Some suggestions on how to overcome fears are listed below for reference. First, you analyzed your fear and had a clear picture of what your fear was. Then you took control of your fear. You decided to expose yourself to that fear in small doses until you gained a better understanding of it. As a result, your fear began to disappear. Finally, you successfully changed the way you thought about your fear. You started seeing fear as a source of energy and embraced its role in your life.
Scripts:
Jack went to a doctor. “Doctor,” he said, “I’ve got trouble. Every time I lie in bed, I think there’s somebody under it. I get under the bed; then I think there’s somebody on top of it. Top, under, top, under. You’ve got to help me! It almost drives me mad!”
“Just put yourself in my hands for two years,” said the doctor. “Come to me three times a week, and I’ll cure your fears.”
“How much do you charge?” “A hundred dollars a visit.” “I’ll think about it,” said Jack.
Six months later the doctor met Jack by chance.
“Why didn’t you ever come to see me again?” asked the doctor. “For a hundred bucks a visit? A carpenter cured me for 10 dollars.” “Is that so? How?”
“He told me to cut the legs off the bed!”
Reading comprehension Understanding the text 1
1 Because when he once hopped from the highest diving board at the pool, he hit the water with an incredible impact and blacked out.
2 No, they couldn’t. Because with the water’s tow, they’d never get to the drowning boy.
3 Because nobody except Jason saw that going out onto the jetty, which was close to the boy, was the fastest way to reach the drowning boy.
4 Because his fear of water suddenly struck him.
5 He felt like he was back in that pool, breathless, struggling, terrified.
6 The boy popped back up, eyes wide with terror, pawing and twisting against Jason.
7 No, it wasn’t. At first when Jason swam against the rip current, it was forcibly dragging them out to the sea. Then he decided to swim sideways to the pull of the current and slowly made their
way back to shore. Finally he made his way back to safety.
8 Because Jason had already conquered his inner fear of water and he also felt relieved and delighted when he saw the boy was hugged tightly by his mother.
Critical thinking 2
1 To overcome the inner fear of water, we need to:
? conquer ourselves with courage by helping others, step up and face our fear;
? practice controlled breathing and alternately tense and relax muscle groups to bring into physical awareness the differences between being tense and being relaxed;
? make the victim stop struggling. In this way he / she can be pulled to safety. 2 The fears may come from:
? our own past experience;
? ther people’s fears we witness;
? someone’s description about their fears;
? influence of specific cultural and historical context.
3 To get a guy to ask a girl out, try giving him some pointers and ideas on how to approach the situation with confidence:
? Tell the guy to ask a girl on a casual date and see where it goes from there. Explain to him that asking a girl out face-to-face can be most appropriate, as it will show her how serious he is. However, if he thinks that is too daring, then suggest sending her a text message or calling her on the phone.
? encourage the guy to be assertive and not beat around the bush. Confidence is admirable, and a girl is more likely to be attracted to a man with confidence. If he is asking the girl in person, he should speak as though he knew she would say yes. Tell him not to hesitate and to get straight to the point.
? suggest that the guy give the girl some choices as to where to go on a date. If he is unsure of what activities or restaurants she enjoys most, this is a great opportunity for him to learn more about her and show her that he cares about her.
4 Obsessive fear leads to anxiety, panic attacks and a variety of psychological problems. We all know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed by fear, but fear, as it turns out, is a fundamental part of our lives, and has some positive effects on our lives:
? Fear increases and enhances our sensory awareness of the environment, so that we can be prepared to protect ourselves from anything potentially threatening or harmful.
? Fear is an invitation to act. Fear is there to warn us that we need to get ready for the future. It isn’t there to stop us; it’s there to tell us that we are about to grow.
? Fear pushes us beyond our limits. Fear motivates us. It drives us to find new resources and options within ourselves. Fear compels us to make extra efforts to succeed and achieve what we desire.
? Fear is necessary in developing our courage. We can’t experience courage without the presence of fear. They go hand in hand. They need one another in order to exist – like darkness and light, or black and white.
Language focus
Words in use 3
1 intervene 2 underestimate 3 recede 4 deem 5 bleak 6 appraise 7 paralyzed 8 symptoms 9 dismay 10 brink Word building 4
Words learned New words formed -ance
dominate dominance avoid avoidance rely reliance acquaint acquaintance clear clearance annoy annoyance admit admittance resemble resemblance assure assurance -ed
bore bored privilege privileged distract distracted 5
1 bored 2 privileged 3 assurance 4 dominance 5 avoidance 6 acquaintance 7 reliance 8 clearance 9 distracted 10 annoyance 11 admittance 12 resemblance
Banked cloze 6
1 K 2 D 3 H 4 J 5 I 6 O 7 G 8 A 9 N 10 C
Expressions in use 7
1 pulled to a stop 2 black out 3 pop up 4 stopped short
5 plowed through 6 threw himself into 7 let yourself go 8 grabbed for
Structure analysis and writing Structured writing 8
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the car’s side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry executive then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That’s a new car and that brick you threw is going to